How Executives Are Growing Their Businesses While Sustaining Exceptional Workplaces
Across critical industries, from banking and real estate to healthcare and professional services, culture isn't created or scaled on its own. It requires intention, structure, and constant reinforcement. Whether through transparent leadership, thoughtful benefits, or consistent communication, the companies that invest in people are driving growth and building an engine of opportunity. In a competitive, fast-changing market like South Florida, that investment may be the ultimate differentiator.
A thriving workplace is not built on perks alone. It is shaped and sustained by trust, consistency, and a deliberate commitment to people. As companies scale, that commitment is tested. Systems must evolve, communication must sharpen, and leadership must ensure that culture does not erode under the weight of growth.
That was the focus of the South Florida Business Journal's 2026 Best Places to Work Roundtable, held in partnership with Justworks, an all-in-one HR platform that helps small businesses manage payroll, benefits, and compliance as they grow. Moderated by Yasmine Gahed, Vice President of Advertising at SFBJ, the discussion brought together leaders from across industries to explore a central question: How do you grow your business while sustaining an exceptional workplace?
Together, they offered a candid, experience-driven look at what it takes to build and protect a culture that works.
Meet the Panelists
Yasmine Gahed, VP of Advertising, South Florida Business Journal (Moderator)
Edgar Collado, COO and CFO, Tobias Financial Advisors
Veronica Ferrari, Vice President and Co-Owner, All Atlantic Benefits
Daniel Garcia, CEO, Wrk Lab
Daniel Goldburg, President, CSCI
Michelle Hintz, Owner and Director, Cadenza Center for Psychotherapy & the Arts
Mary Usategui, President and CEO, BankMiami
Culture Built on Values-Based Leadership
For many at the table, workplace culture is deeply personal. Daniel Goldburg, President of CSCI, traced his philosophy back to his father, who led with empathy and a commitment to taking care of people. That legacy continues to shape his approach today.
"I'm pretty firm in not doing one thing I wouldn't do for somebody else," he said, emphasizing fairness and shared sacrifice, even in years when profits are down. "That's all in the mindset of being equal across the board for the whole company."
Gahed noted, fairness is rarely one-size-fits-all. Employees have different goals, needs, and expectations. Goldburg acknowledged this tension, explaining that while decisions may be role-based, consistency matters: "If we're going to do it, we'll do it for everyone."
At the Cadenza Center for Psychotherapy and the Arts, culture is equally rooted in intention, but also in realism, said Michelle Hintz, the center's Owner and Director. It's a challenge to maintain consistency in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Veronica Ferrari, Vice President and Co-Owner of All Atlantic Benefits, has experienced that evolution firsthand. As her firm has grown to four times its original size, maintaining culture has required rethinking how ownership and autonomy are distributed. Giving her team a sense of ownership helps fuel growth, she noted, while also forcing leaders to re-evaluate not just systems, but assumptions.
Early-Stage Culture: Built Before Structure Exists
In the earliest days of a company, culture is often informal. That doesn't make it any less important to eventual success. Mary Usategui, President and CEO of BankMiami, recalled launching the bank with a leap of faith. Before opening, the bank could not even hire its full team.
"It was me, myself and I," she said. When the bank opened with 14 employees, culture was already central to its identity. Today, with 30 employees and $250 million in assets, that foundation continues to guide growth.
"If you take care of your people, they take care of your clients," Usategui said, noting that the bank's growth has been "100% word of mouth."
A similar early-stage mindset existed at Wrk Lab, where culture was embedded from the start, said Daniel Garcia, CEO of Wrk Lab, a commercial furniture dealer. Well before Covid, "we were hybrid before hybrid was cool," he said. But that early flexibility came with a challenge: maintaining cohesion when teams are not physically together.
"Culture starts bleeding away," Garcia said. The solution, he emphasized, is intentional leadership. "You have to live by culture. Lead with culture, and add to that."
When Growth Tests Culture
Growth is often celebrated, but it can also destabilize what made a company successful in the first place. For many leaders, the turning point comes when informal practices no longer scale. Goldburg, for example, described how communication became critical during periods of expansion, and tumult.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CSCI introduced a monthly, company-wide town hall. The initiative proved so valuable that it remains in place today.
Garcia echoed the importance of consistency, noting that Wrk Lab holds its own town hall on the second Tuesday of every month. These regular touchpoints, he said, reinforce alignment, especially in hybrid environments.
"Consistency is key," Gahed added, particularly as remote and distributed workforces become more common.
The phrase "taking care of employees" can mean very different things depending on the organization. For Goldburg, it begins with stability. In the cyclical construction industry, competitors often "hire to fire to hire." His company takes a different approach, making a commitment to employees at the point of hiring.
Hintz emphasized purpose over pay. At Cadenza Center, where employees provide therapy and support for children with autism and mental health needs, meaning matters. People need to know that what they're doing matters, she said. "They're not coming to work for the money."
Similarly, Usategui focuses on humanity and celebration. She highlighted the role of recognizing and celebrating wins and building community as organizations grow. "It's important to make it human," she said. "It doesn't have to stop when you get to 100 or 200 employees. Pay and care for your employees and the results will come."
At Tobias Financial Advisors, a holistic perspective sees the "whole employee and wellness wheel," said Edgar Collado, the firm's COO and CFO. Tobias integrates initiatives like fitness months, wellness challenges, and even taking the time to encourage employees to take simple actions, such as calling a friend they haven't spoken to in a while.
"One initiative didn't replace the other. It was additive, 'what more can we do?'" he said. "Do this consistently and everything becomes part of the culture."
Benefits' Evolving Role
Benefits have become a central, and increasingly complex, part of the employee experience. Ferrari, whose firm specializes in benefits consulting, emphasized the importance of offering a comprehensive package. Surveying employees is key, she added. Many valuable benefits come at little or no cost, but require understanding what employees actually want.
Her company has absorbed rising costs to maintain consistency for employees, describing benefits as a "hidden paycheck."
Collado highlighted inclusive benefits, such as covering mobile phone expenses for all employees, which can be a relatively low-cost initiative with broad impact. Goldburg described a shift to a self-funded health insurance program and a revamped 401(k), driven by his commitment to employees' long-term well-being. Participation in the retirement plan increased from 50% to 100% among eligible employees.
Hintz pointed out a persistent challenge: helping younger employees understand the full value of benefits. Compensation is more than salary, but that message is not always trusted or understood.
Meeting Generational Expectations
Panelists agreed there's an importance to recognizing and meeting generational needs. As workplaces evolve, so do employee expectations. However, Ferrari pointed out that flexibility means different things to different people. A parent may value time for school or sports events, while others may prioritize different forms of balance. Her firm addresses this by structuring teams to support one another. This can ensure continuity for clients while allowing individuals flexibility.
For Usategui, a unifying theme across generations is transparency. Every generation appreciates it, she said, and "the younger generation almost demands it." That transparency builds trust, and, importantly, engagement. Employees want to understand not just what they are doing, but why.
"Knowing why we do things is a game changer," she said.
Mentorship remains a powerful driver of engagement, panelists agreed. Employees are not looking to simply learn the business; they want guidance, development, and human connection. Effective mentorship doesn't come by accident, especially in young businesses that lack structure, Collado said. Leaders must realize their teams are eager to learn and make time for mentorship.
"People want mentors, someone to help and teach," he said. "They don't want to just watch a video."
Along with people-focused efforts, behind every strong culture also is an operational backbone. Collado drew on manufacturing principles like continuous improvement, implementing tools such as hiring platforms and performance management systems, to scale effectively. At the leadership level, planning is inseparable from people.
Ferrari described how her company's growth necessitated a shift from informal processes to defined roles. Investing in structure (sales roles, service capacity, and operational oversight) has been "transformational," she said.
"When you're small, there is no system. Then you realize the importance," she said, though quickly pointing out that the goalposts continue to move. "You will never get there."
Balancing Tech and the Human Element
As technology, and especially artificial intelligence, reshape the workplace, leaders are navigating how to integrate it without losing the human touch. Garcia sees technology as a tool for efficiency and empowerment. To Usategui, relationships remain a competitive advantage. "AI is not going to take away the relationship," she said.
Collado agreed, framing AI as a tool that replaces tasks, not people. Ferrari added that using AI to eliminate mundane work can free employees to focus on collaboration and strategy, provided leadership is clear that the goal is not downsizing.
Looking ahead, panelists agreed that proactive investment in people is critical.
Goldburg is focused on hiring for the long term, bringing in talent that will support growth over the next five to 10 years. Collado emphasized the importance of strong people managers, noting that scaling a business requires not just processes, but leadership capability. Similarly, Hintz highlighted internal mobility, creating new roles for existing employees to foster investment and engagement. Meanwhile, Garcia underscored communication, engagement and involvement are the foundation for navigating growth.
"Pain points are addressed with clear communication," he said, noting that leadership shared with employees its business plan and welcomed their input. The result was not just heightened engagement and innovation. "Their ideas were phenomenal."
The Power of Being Best
Being named a Best Place to Work carries weight, but its impact varies by organization. For Hintz, the recognition was both validating and revealing. While she had a strong sense of her workplace culture, the data provided new insight and fueled her competitive drive to improve.
Goldburg took a more analytical approach. The data can help identify gaps. In an industry where competitors offer similar products, he has intentionally positioned his company as people-focused. Yet the results can show room for improvement, reflection and action.
Even small feedback matters. Collado noted that anonymous surveys can reveal simple but meaningful changes, down to something as specific as improving the office coffee.
Usategui described the honor as deeply meaningful, especially for a company just one year old.
"The employees are the biggest asset of the organization," she said, emphasizing that the award reflects their experience. "We want to win every year. Because if we don't, then something must have changed."
Speed Round: What Investments Pay Off First?
Ferrari: "Mentorship. It's one of the hardest things to do because it's a time investment. But it pays dividends quickly."
Collado: "Empowerment and training. That's transformational for a growing business."
Goldburg: "Alignment around a common goal, supported by initiatives like profit-sharing."
Usategui: "Transparency and a sense of ownership, whether through equity or other structures."
Garcia: "Clear, consistent communication that builds unity and resilience."
Hintz: "Personal connection, including one-on-one conversations and early performance reviews to understand employee experiences."
This article originally appeared as sponsored content in the South Florida Business Journal, May 8-14, 2026 edition, presented by Justworks. Republished here with credit to the original publication.
